Dennis Doyle (Simon Pegg) is a clueless and slightly overweight Manchild who left his pregnant fiancée Libby (Thandie Newton) at the altar five years earlier. He constantly tries to persuade the woman he loves to accept him back into her life, but when he discovers that Libby has found a new partner in the form of American Whit (Hank Azaria), frustration grows, and Dennis vows that for once in his life, he will finish something. This something ends up being the Nike River Run in London. With his friend Gordon (Dylan Moran) and landlord Mr. Goshdashtidar by his side, Dennis begins training for the marathon he must finish to win the respect of both Libby, and himself.

This film provides examples of:

Adult Fear: Libby and Dennis panic when Jake has run away. Gordon is also pretty concerned when Dennis tells him. One could say that because Dennis is a Manchild for much of the film, this is the moment where he grows up and forces him to face his problems instead of running away from them.

Amusing Injuries: Gordon stabbing Dennis in the foot with a nail to try and pop a blister, Dennis falling down a staircase into a woman on an exercise ball, and any time Dennis gets hit with a spatula. Averted when Whit breaks Dennis's ankle.

Artistic License – Sports: In large televised marathons amateur and professional runners start from different points and the elite runners who are likely to be in with a chance to win start from their own area so Dennis and Whit wouldn't have been on camera to steal the thunder from the elite athletes with their sprinting away from the start and jockeying for position.

Ask a Stupid Question...: After explicitly pointing out that Dennis is running on a broken ankle, the reporter then asks:

Reporter: Sir! Sir! How do you feel? Dennis: (in tears, barely cognizant) How the fuck do you think I feel?!

Blackmail: When Dennis refuses Maya's ultimatum to kick him out if he quits the race and pay his back rent if he doesn't, she whips away his Modesty Towel and takes a polaroid of his naked body. "Deal?" "...Deal."

Blue Is Heroic: Dennis dresses in blue clothing a lot of times in the film, including the shirt he has on during the marathon.

Cheaters Never Prosper: Whit trips Dennis up, only to be sent to hospital himself while Dennis limps on, and later to get caught out by an action replay.

Consequence Combo: There are a lot of carrots and sticks in play, but the clearest example of the trope is Maya's ultimatum - if Dennis finishes the race, she'll call off his back rent. If he doesn't, she'll kick him out.

The Family for the Whole Family: A low-rent London Gangster who appears to run a betting syndicate and fence stolen goods, who nearly breaks Gordon's hand in a piano lid, and who when his bet is threatened hijacks a taxi, drives to the race and... runs alongside Dennis taunting him and ineffectually trying to trip him up. Lampshaded after Mr. G rescues Gordon from the piano incident;

Mr. G.: Your friend is man of honour. He promised to beat shit out of you later!

Flat "What.": Libby after Dennis tells her in the bakery he will do the marathon.

Freeze-Frame Bonus: At various points in the film, you can see graffiti depicting Dennis's state at that moment. One is of a man clecnhing his fists and striking a pose on a wall, seen behind Dennis during the Training Montage as he runs in and out of bollards. Another obvious one is after Dennis and Gordon fight. Dennis runs around the corner and clearly visible on the wall behind him is of a man hanging from a tree, because at that point, he's at his lowest ebb in the film.

Heroic B.S.O.D.: Dennis has one after Libby agrees to marry Whit. He's so depressed he drops out of the race, has a Wimp Fight with Gordon and it takes aTheReasonYouSuckSpeech from Mr. G. and Jake running away to get him to pull himself out of it.

Inconvenient Itch: When he first starts working out, Dennis gets a nasty, itchy rash on his crotch that he absolutely has to scratch... as he is at work as a security guard in a lingerie shop. One can guess what this looks like.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Gordon. He steals from people and bets everything on Dennis. However, he cares about him, Libby and Jake. Just look at the scene where Jake has run away and Dennis tells Gordon about this.

"And, what's that? [overjoyed] He's got a son! I didn't know he had a son! Did you know he had a son!?"

Kick the Dog: When Jake won't stop messing around with Whit's hospital bed, Whit loses it and shouts at him, "Goddamn it! Will you stop messing around with the bed, you little shit?!" He does this in front of Libby, and she's not happy about it.

Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: Dennis and Whit are running in an annual marathon in London on a Sunday, with space for a number of charity runners to enter after the general closing date, that is most definitely not the London Marathon.

Pants-Free: When Gordon invites Dennis into his apartment, he's leaning over the balcony. At the end of the conversation we see him shot from behind, revealing that he's naked from the waist down. At the end of the movie, he invites two beautiful girls onto his boat... again, no pants.

Parent with New Paramour: Averted at first, Jake is pretty impressed with Whit, which to Dennis just makes him even more depressingly superior. However, they're never as close as he is with his dad, and when Jake really starts going off Whit you know the guy's doomed...

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